Big Ten Power Rankings, Week 4: Michigan’s offense sputters again
By David Rouben
Michigan State Spartans (2-0)
Last week: BYE
Last rank: 8th
Through two weeks, Michigan State already has one less win than they did in all of 2016. Their bye week couldn’t have come at a better time, as extra time to prepare for Notre Dame is always welcome. Even though nothing went right for the Spartans last year, their Week 2 win against the Irish was one of their highlights of the season. While everything fell apart following that win, they’ll be hoping for a different outcome this time around.
Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-0)
Last week: W vs. Middle Tennessee, 34-3
Last rank: 7th
Even though Minnesota’s offense is built out of the backfield, their quarterbacks got all the attention heading into Week 3. Demry Croft and Conor Rhoda had a competition going during the first two weeks, but before their game against Middle Tennessee, P.J. Fleck named Rhoda the starter while stating Croft was not with the team for disciplinary reasons. While he didn’t cut him from the team, Fleck probably takes stuff like that very seriously, meaning Rhoda should be the de facto starter from this point on.
He didn’t seem to handle that pressure very well, as he only threw for 122 yards and zero touchdowns. But for a team that’s so reliant on their running backs, it didn’t matter. Shannon Brooks dressed but didn’t play due to an injury, while Rodney Smith only played the first half before exiting the game. That paved the way for Kobe McCrary to come in and wreak havoc on the Blue Raiders’ defense as he accounted for all of Minnesota’s offensive touchdowns.
Thankfully for the Gophers, they head into a bye week, giving their players a chance to rest. But having that next man up approach in the backfield should serve them well heading into their conference slate.